ISLAMABAD: The capital police have been directed to submit details of complaints lodged with them by citizens over crime against property and the cases registered.

The details have been sought by the capital administration after it emerged that cases were not being registered on time, said officials in the administration and police.

Earlier, a capital administration spokesman shared with media details of a kutchery in F-10 and attended by MNAs, including Asad Umar, the assistant commissioner Shalimar and senior police officers.

District admin issues direction after complaints that police were not registering cases on time

During the kutchery, the citizens complained that the police did not cooperate with them and failed to collect evidence on time. They also said FIRs were not being registered on time.

Besides, MNA Asad Umar also expressed concerns over the performance of the police and the increasing crime in the capital. He said complaints received last month exceeded the number of crime committed in the capital over the last six years.

In response, senior officers of the capital administration ordered assistant commissioners to hold an investigation into the non-registration of cases which might be the main reason behind the spike in crime.

In response, the ACs asked in-charges of the police stations and subdivisional police officers in their limits to submit details of the complaints lodged against property crime and the cases registered.

Talking to Dawn, AC Shalimar Sidra Anwar said there was no mechanism to check non-registration of cases but the administration acted whenever it received any such complaints. A report has been sought from the police about the reasons behind the delay in registration of cases, she added.

When contacted and asked about the complaints of the citizens, Deputy Inspector General of Police (operations) Waqaruddin Syed said the allegations were not true.

During the open kutchery, he added, there was not a single specific complaint about non-registration of any case. A woman had suggested that all crimes were not registered and the figures may be shared with the citizens, he said.

About concerns showed by the MNA, he said there were scattered incidents of robbery during the last few weeks, particularly in Muharram, to which Mr Umar had referred.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat said 160 more cases were registered with the police compared to the corresponding period last year.

The interior ministry has ordered the police and the administration not to interfere in the civil matters and those who were complaining about non-registration of cases might be complainants of civil disputes, he added.

The DC said he along with 10 other officers received four to five complaints about non-registration of cases every day.

On an average, the police registered 40 cases every day, he added.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2019